Extend Third Category Quota to Transgenders, Telangana HC Directs State

 Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court directed the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TGSPSC) and the labour, employment and training department to extend third gender status reservations to transgenders in the recruitment process conducted by them, in addition to the candidate’s caste-based reservations.

A division bench, comprising Justice Sujoy Paul and Namavarapu Rajeshwar Rao, was dealing with a petition filed by a third gender person, Bhumibathula Edukondalu, who challenged Sec 22 of the Telangana State and Subordinate Rules 1996, which explains the special representations (reservations) stating that they do not specify reservations for the third gender category.

The petitioner argued that the recruitment bodies have not included reservations of third gender category, despite Supreme Court guidelines in ‘National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India’ and others and directions of the Telangana High Court to the state government to issue government orders/administrative instructions providing for reservation to persons belonging to the transgender community in matters of admission into educational institutions and recruitment to government and public services.

The court directed TGSPSC to extend the quota to the petitioner in the job notifications, apart from his reserved category quota. The court adjourned the matter along with other petitions with similar prayers.